Peaks Mittens

Peaks Mittens by Shannon Larson

What is Being Made

Peaks Mittens is a downloadable knitting pattern for a pair of mittens or fingerless mitts, designed by Shannon Larson of Justlivin Designs. The pattern offers flexibility in construction, allowing knitters to choose between full mittens or open-fingered mitts based on their preference. The design features a striking colorwork element created through the use of a main color (MC) and contrasting color (CC), as demonstrated in the sample mittens knit in gold and cream, as well as tan and blue variations.

Techniques Used

Peaks Mittens employs several intermediate-level knitting techniques that add visual interest and construction sophistication to the project. The pattern utilizes colorwork charting, requiring knitters to follow stitch-by-stitch instructions from written charts to create the patterned design. The mittens feature an afterthought thumb construction method, a popular technique in modern mitten design that simplifies the knitting process. With this method, waste yarn is knitted in place during the main mitten body, and thumb stitches are picked up and worked separately afterward, eliminating the need for complex thumb gusset increases during the initial knitting.

Stitches Used

While specific stitch names are not detailed in the pattern excerpt provided, the construction relies on fundamental knitting stitches worked in the round using circular needles. The colorwork pattern is executed by following charts that indicate which color yarn to use for each stitch, a technique common in Fair Isle or stranded colorwork knitting. Knitters will need to be comfortable with basic stitches and reading chart instructions to complete this intermediate project.

Materials and Tools

Peaks Mittens requires 191 to 275 yards each of main color and contrasting color fingering weight yarn, depending on the size chosen. The pattern accommodates multiple sizes, with sample mittens available in small and medium. The original sample mittens were knit using Rauma Finull PT2 in size 4125 Gold Heather for the main color and 401 Natural for the contrasting color. An alternative yarn option featured is Brooklyn Tweed Loft in Woodsmoke (MC) and Tartan (CC), demonstrating the pattern's versatility with different fingering weight yarns.

Knitters will need US #0/2.00mm circular needles (32 inches or longer) or US #1/2.25mm circular needles (32 inches or longer), with the latter size being adjustable based on individual gauge. A needle one size smaller than the gauge needle is also recommended for certain sections. Additional tools include a darning needle for weaving in ends and waste yarn for the afterthought thumb placement. The pattern notes that non-superwash wool options will also produce quality results at the specified gauge.

Pattern Notes

The Peaks Mittens pattern is formatted as a downloadable PDF and is suitable for knitters with intermediate skill levels. The design accommodates different yarn weights and fiber types, making it accessible to knitters with varying yarn stashes. Charts should be worked from right to left, following standard knitting chart conventions. For questions or inquiries about the pattern, designer Shannon Larson can be reached at justlivindesigns@gmail.com or via Instagram at @justlivindesigns.